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May 16, 2006
non-native species
Just when I thought our President couldn't get any stupider, more wasteful, or, well, frikkin' stupid, he goes and sends an already harried National Guard to "protect" our border with Mexico. Why not fortify the existing border patrol instead? It is clearly some kind of bizarre symbolic gesture meant to appease somebody, but I don't know who.
I've been to both the north and the south borders of this country in wilderness areas on foot. To the north there is no fence at all, with hundreds of miles of beautiful northwoods lakes and bogs protecting us from the encroaching Canadian wave of illegal immigrants. To the south there are also stretches of our border with nothing but a barbed-wire fence that couldn't stop a deer, much less a primate. I took a photo of the borderline this spring. There was no one there. I'm sure it was being monitored by telemetry or something, but really, our north and south borders are quite porous. We cannot possibly guard every inch of it, and to try to do so would cost billions. What Bush is doing now is purely symbolic, because he knows very well that every inch of our borderline cannot be effectively guarded. Sending National Guard troops to the border of Mexico is stupidly symbolic and wasteful.
I remember fishing with my brothers in my youth and was encouraged to kill any suckers or chubs (two types of stream fish) I caught because they were considered 'invasive species'. This actually meant "not-trout". Later in my life when I took a college-level ichthyology class, I learned that creek chubs and suckers are the native species, and most species of trout are populations supported by artificial fishery efforts - i.e. non-native species.
I'm not sure what kind of point I'm making here with the fish analogy, other than the fact that a lot of xenophobia is either relative or completely made up. I guess I don't percieve borders as physical things.
Anyway, George W. Bush is a complete fucking idiot.
On a completely unrelated note, Ron Howard grew a beard and is totally hot. Thanks Corey for the picture of a hot bearded Opie. The picture below is of hockey hottie Cam Ward, formerly of the Carolina Hurricanes. I post the picture simply because he too is woofy.
Should it disturb me that I have seemingly developed a network of facial- and body-hair informants who send me facial-hair pictures and news items at least once a week?
Funny story: last night I was video-chatting on ICUII. While chatting with a hot guy I made an attempt to ask him out. His first response to my friendliness was, "I read your blog and know how you feel about partnered guys and wanted to let you know I have a boyfriend and we are monogamous."
Praise Alanis, my readers can be TRAINED TO BE HONEST, UPFRONT AND TRUTHFUL!!! Social persuasion campaigns (propaganda on how I think things should be) do work! Even though it wouldn't end up in a hook-up, I would be honored to hang out and have a beer with such an open, honest and upfront guy.
Posted by jimbo at May 16, 2006 11:10 AM
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Comments
I must be the only one in the country who thinks a wall/fence is a bad idea primarily because it would interfere with animal migration and movement. That's what you get for growing up with moose fences along the highway.
Once they are trained, they can be made to do anything I guess.
Posted by: copperred at May 16, 2006 12:37 PM
Anyway, George W. Bush is a complete fucking idiot.
He's a republican politician playing by the Republican playbook which is to create and maintain a sense of "us vs. them" to focus everyone's attention on between now and the elections. Which is why we'll also hear a lot about same-sex marriage and flag burning ("goddam hippies!") in the next couple of months. None of these things are new sudden hugely important issues that just suddenly cropped up, but it's an election year and all the energy getting people worked up over immigrants and gays and hippies will be that much less energy for people and the media to focus on things like the economy, Iraq, the environment, the health care crisis, the price of gas, domestic spying, etc., etc. Bush isn't an idiot at all - he's just plain evil in the special Republican way.
Posted by: Andy at May 16, 2006 4:13 PM
You never told us that Ron Howard is your twin brother!
Posted by: Schorsch at May 16, 2006 4:33 PM
You can only imagine what it's like to live 4 miles from the US/Mexico border. Am I going to see this big W-A-L-L out my backyard? Is it me, or is Bush getting stupider? Is that...possible...?
Posted by: Cobban at May 16, 2006 4:49 PM
Bush was born in Maine, not Texas. Being a proud Texan, I feel obligated to repeat this oft forgotten fact. He is also an idiot, not a president, although that isn't really forgotten...
It's kind of funny, I lived in what would be considered the ghetto of Dallas for a little over a year. Nearly all of my neighbors were illegal-- At least 10 per 2 bedroom apartment-- and spoke minimal english, but they were probably some of the nicest neighbors you could have. Only problem I ever had were that I hated kids, and they all had like 200.
Ron Howard looked like a strange balding (in an ugly way, not a cute one) child molester a few movies ago. I need further proof before I buy his hotness.
Sounds like you just sucked that monogamous guy's dick, lol.
Posted by: Kevin at May 16, 2006 6:12 PM
They need a friggin' wall around the west wing is what they really need. It'd keep the idiots from migrating into reality.
On the other hand, as a partnered man in an open and honest relationship, I must say that I appreciate the bearded bear pictures you post (great taste!) and would love to hang and have a beer with you someday.
Posted by: J.P. at May 16, 2006 6:44 PM
I wouldn't mind chatting with you on ICUII some time. Let me know when you'll be on again.
Posted by: Bubala at May 22, 2006 8:08 PM